Post-Thanksgiving Edition

We had a great Thanksgiving with D.’s family in New Orleans. It was a short trip, but we got to visit with a lot of family members. We had plenty to eat at Thanksgiving dinner, with the highlight being my sister-in-law’s vegan cornbread dressing. Of the dishes I brought, the two big hits were the Cranberry Relish and this Sweet Potato Casserole with pecan topping:

I’ll save the sweet potato recipe to post closer to Christmas because it’s not fat-free and I’m currently over my quota of decadent recipes. But I promise you, it’s worth waiting for: Creamy sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg with a maple-pecan topping.

Before we left the city, I insisted that we take the time to shop at my favorite grocery store, a huge Asian supermarket called the Hong Kong Market. It’s just a few blocks away from D.’s mom’s house, so whenever we visit, we bring home loads of foods that we just can’t find in Jackson, such as roasted gluten (which appears to be dehydrated seitan), cherimoyas, purple potatoes, various sauces and types of rice, and tiny Thai eggplants:

On our way home, we stopped at my parents’ house to do a little “shopping” right from their garden. Unfortunately, my parents weren’t in town, but we had their permission to pick some fruit. So, after a little picnic on their back porch, we got to business. Some of us worked hard…

…while others enjoyed the sunshine and country air:

We picked so many of these huge Meyer lemons that I’ll just have to make a pie soon:

And we scored a bunch of navel oranges and pink grapefruits, too….

There were a few persimmons left on the trees…

…but we left them alone since my father had already picked us a bag full. We even picked a few things that we couldn’t identify. I guess I’ll know after I peel them whether these are oranges or tangerines:

What we picked the most of, however, is a fruit that most people haven’t heard of:

These are calamondins. They’re not quite as sour as lemons but nowhere near as sweet as oranges. D. and I love to squeeze them into hot tea. They also make a great pie.

We took a little time to admire the flowers…

…and to appreciate the more unusual plant life…

…and then we headed back north to Mississippi, where I’ll have to start putting our harvest to good use.